


Caterpillars and Butterflies

by Kjasa



Category: Long Live the Queen (Video Game)
Genre: Asexuality, F/M, Marriage Proposal, Slow Burn, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29116530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kjasa/pseuds/Kjasa
Summary: When Edolie, Queen of Nova chooses to propose to Kevan, the Earl of Io the court is in uproar. Will he agree to her proposition? Will they be able to face the many troubles coming their way? Only time will tell.
Relationships: Elodie & Kevan (Long Live the Queen)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a more planned out version of my discontinued "The Journey to the Throne Story". Instead of taking place during the game, it will take place after but feature many characters and plot lines from the game. I plan to upload every Sunday and the my current plan is to have seven story arcs after the intro and a final epilogue: The Arisse arc, the Talarist arc, the Banion arc, the Corisande arc, the Joslyn Arc, the Old Forest arc, and finally the Happily Ever After Arc. There may be some shifting of names and themes over the course of publishing. Constructive criticism is welcome and I will attempt to fix any errors as they come up. I hope you enjoy :)

The choice to marry Kevan Earl of Io was a controversial one to say the least, but one Elodie was undoubtedly entitled to make. The past year had been chaotic to say the least. After the death of her mother, the beloved Queen Fidelia, leadership of Nova had fallen to her. While she hadn’t been able to become Queen officially until her 15th birthday just days prior, she had already faced many challenges. From scheming nobles and royal lessons, to newfound magical powers and all out war with the Shanjians across the sea. No member of her court, including her father, would dare publicly question her choice at this point. In private however, the story was quite different.

While Edolie had yet to make any formal proposal, her proclamation of her intent to do so to the court caused many a gasp. Her father, Joslyn Duke of Caloris, was horrified at the thought of his daughter marrying someone with a past as complicated and violent as his. Everyone had heard the rumors of the true reason the Earl’s stepfather had been assassinated or of his uncomfortably close relationship with his sister, Corisande Duchess of Mead. He had vowed not to get in the way of his daughter’s decisions however, so all he could was watch and wait.

Juliana Duchess of Ursul found the Earl himself to be of dubious character, but approved of marrying someone from Arisse’s brood. Arisse was by far the most powerful noble in Nova, so having her in Elodie’s pocket would prove useful in the future. Besides, the Earl’s family had their own issues with him. If he were to turn out to be more trouble than he was worth, a well timed appearance wouldn’t ruffle too many feathers.

The court informant Sabine found the concept absolutely hilarious. She of course knew better than most of the court the true nature of the Earl’s secrets. There was no such thing as a perfect match, and any of the suitable options would have their own severe drawbacks. To go for a man as broken as him was something only a 15 year old would do. The young queen clearly did not have the life experience to know a train wreck when she saw one. If nothing else, this would make the castle much more interesting. Sabine would probably gain a fair amount of work keeping rumors down, and who would say no to more money.

Elodie knew that she was making a controversial choice, but that didn’t dissuade her in the slightest. While Kevan was indeed a wildcard, she couldn’t ignore the potential she saw in him. He had a severely troubled past, but under the surface there was clearly an intelligent and loyal man. She desperately hoped her bargain would pay off. It had to.


	2. The History

Elodie’s first meeting with Kevan wasn’t exactly a fairy tale meet cute. She had been sitting in court listening to the rambling of local nobles on if taxes in Nova were too high or low, when suddenly an angry man with a wild of hair burst into the room. He had a look of fury unlike anything she had ever seen and his green eyes glared piercingly at her from across the room. He was dragging a poor woman with tears streaming down her face behind him and threw her before the throne as he began to yell.  
“Your highness! This slattern dares to beg your pardon when she ADMITS that she tried to poison my sister under her own roof!”  
A gasp ran throughout the court. A low born woman attempting to murder the member of a noble family would indeed be seen as an unforgivable sin among the high born. The poor woman looked a wreck, but was clearly trying to hold herself together in front of the queen to be.  
“Which sister?” Elodie questioned as she pondered what action would appease the court but not be unfairly cruel to the woman.  
“Corisande, Duchess of Mead” Kevan stated as he began to calm down slightly and straighten his clothing.  
“Is she all right? Was she injured in the assassination attempt?”   
“She is unharmed. We caught the culprit in the kitchen before anyone could eat her foul spew” Kevan spat with another piercing stare into the woman in front of him.  
“Well what do you have to say for yourself?” Elodie asked the accused as she reached for a quill and paper to begin writing her decree.  
The woman stood proudly now as she began to yell her own side of the story.  
“It’s justice, it is! Them devils killed me brother, and broke me mams heart. Lied to her, they did, when she went to see why he’d not come back. Said he’d gone for a soldier when he never would! He weren’t the only one neither. I waited ten years for my chance to get my own back. That’s justice!”   
“You see? She’s completely unrepentant. Hang her and be done with it” he scoffed at the woman’s story.  
The true story of course was much more complicated than Kevan was letting on. Elodie knew that the previous Duke of Mead had a disgusting habit of victimizing young male servants and having them killed when he tired of them. He was already dead of course, but the urge to seek justice on someone who never faced consequences for his heinous acts was something she could understand. Kevan had his own trauma at the hands of his family as well, but he internalized it in the form of fierce loyalty to them.   
“This woman failed in her goals. She has harmed no one, and as such I do not require her life. If she’s kept far away from your sister’s duchy, she should no longer be a threat to your family” Elodie stated in a matter of fact way, trying to convince the court she was in the right.  
“You’re going to FORGIVE her?” Kevan fumed incredulously.  
“I’m indenturing her, not pardoning her. She will serve as a heavy laborer in northern Ursul”  
“She should be made an example of! She should be drawn and quartered in a public square!”  
“I have spoken.” Elodie said firmly, trying her best to appear regal and intimidating.  
“God bless you miss!” The woman cried joyfully as she was escorted out of the room by the guard.  
Kevan was clearly unhappy with the verdict, but there was nothing he could do against the future queen’s word, so he left angrily muttering to himself as he stomped out of the castle.

For the next couple months as Elodie continued her studies, while she didn’t have any direct contact with Kevan, she was somehow unable to escape the drama he seemed to leave everywhere he went. However, it was only after Gwenelle’s birthday party that she really knew all the sordid details of his past. Elodie had invited Briony to stay at the castle in order to get away for her parents for a while. There had apparently been quite a bit of turmoil going on at home for her recently, and it was the least the soon to be queen could do to help her escape for at least a little while.   
After a week full of fun and an ill advised trip into the old forest, Briony’s mother eventually came to collect her daughter. When Briony got back home, she wrote Elodie a long letter explaining all the drama that had been occurring. Apparently Briony’s mother, Corisande, was involved in an intimate relationship with her own brother, Kevan, and it was causing a rift in her parents' already frail marriage. Briony further revealed that Kevan’s step father Nalin had assaulted Kevan repeatedly as a child, and as a result he had some very severe emotional issues and blamed himself to an extent when his mother found out and had Nalin killed. He had developed an unhealthy dependency on his family, and it worried Elodie. Many members of his family had serious psychological issues. At least she knew the truth now. 

Kevan was unreliable, a bit of a wildcard, and had an angry streak. Elodie’s memories of him from the past year proved that he was nothing but trouble. So why, when it came time to decide on a husband, did she choose him? To be honest, she didn’t even want to be married. Queen’s are expected to, so she would, but she had never felt attracted to anyone before and the idea of being forced to have sex by a man twice her age that she barely knew for political reasons greatly disturbed her. That’s why she began to work on her plan to marry Kevan specifically.   
She was under no misconceptions that he would be interested in her, and that’s what made him the best match for her. Their union could be based purely on mutually beneficial circumstances. He would have an exit from living with his problematic family and their approval by becoming prince regent. Elodie would have an escape from marital duties due to his issues, and the favor of a powerful noble family. Support that a young queen would desperately need to keep the nobles from questioning her place. And who knows, maybe they could at the very least be friends one day. Either way, her mind was made, and there was nothing her court could do to change it.


	3. The Proposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day!

“Your Majesty, the Duke of Io will be arriving shortly. Is there anything I can help you with before he’s here?”  
“No thank you Alice. You can take the rest of the day off”.  
“Thank you your majesty. I’ll see you in the morning” Alice sighed as she left the room quietly.  
The less her staff knew about Elodie’s upcoming conversation with Kevan, the better. Privacy was of the utmost importance if she was to get him to agree with her proposal. Taking one last look in the mirror as she smoothed her dress into place, she made her way towards the castle’s main hall. As she sat on her throne to wait for Kevan’s entrance, she took deep breaths to maintain her composure. Shortly afterward, she heard the footsteps approaching the chamber as the door was opened by a footman and an uncomfortable looking Kevan walked in.   
“Your Majesty” he bowed respectfully as he addressed Elodie directly, “You sent for me?”  
“You may rise Duke of Io” Elodie said as she rose from her throne gracefully and walked towards the rooms side door, “I was hoping you would join me for a walk in the gardens”.  
An incredulous looking Kevan scoffed as he followed her out the door and throughout the halls of the castle. The building was old, it had been the home of the royal family for nearly 500 years at this point. Over the centuries there had been additions and demolitions, and Kevan had only ever been in the main chambers. Following Elodie around through twisting turns and halls was already a massive exercise of trust for him. One that he wasn’t sure he was quite ready for. He still had no idea why the Queen herself would want to have a private conversation with someone as miserable as himself. He was so absorbed by his thoughts that he didn’t notice he was in a small walled off garden until Elodie stopped in front of him.   
“Do you like it?” Elodie smiled as she motioned to the small overgrown garden around her, “It was my mothers favorite place in the castle before she died. Not many people even know of its existence”.  
“It’s very nice, but your majesty, why exactly am I here?” Kevan asked hesitantly as he awkwardly avoided her eyes.  
“Duke of Io, I have a proposition to make to you, and I need you to listen to everything I have to say before you make up your mind about it. Is that alright?”  
Kevan nodded as he stared at a small crumbling fountain in the center of the garden.  
“Duke… I mean… Kevan. I would like to marry you if you’d agree to a proposition such as that” Elodie started as she saw a look of shock flash across Kevan’s face, “I believe that we could have a mutually beneficial union. I know about your past Kevan, I know what Nalin did to you and how you suffered. I know about your relationship with your sister and how your family is holding you in those memories of hurt. Don’t ask me how but I do. If you were to marry me and come live with me at the castle, I could give you an escape from your family in which they would be most proud of you as a prince regent. You could be free to do as you please here”.  
“I’m sorry, what? You can’t be serious” he spat incredulously, “Why on Earth would you choose me as your husband? What do you get out of this?”  
Elodie sighed as she walked around the fountain to a small bench and slouched back on it.  
“I have my own secrets Kevan. I don’t want to be married but it’s my responsibility to. I need a partner who will leave me to my own business and not pressure me. I’ve never been interested in intimacy and I’d like to keep it that way. I’m not asking for an immediate answer, I just want you to think about it, okay?”  
Kevan paused thoughtfully, “I’ll consider it, but your answer will probably be no. I’m not the marrying type”.  
“Neither am I”.  
Kevan left the castle shortly after their conversation. He had a lot to think about. Elodie could only hope that his answer would be a good one. He knew he wouldn’t speak lightly of it to the other nobles so her secret was safe for now. All that she could do was wait.


End file.
